Senator Dirksen Interview after Civil Rights Bill Passage, 1964

Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (R-IL) played a vital role in the politics of the 1960s. Here, he answers questions from reporters after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which he helped write. This landmark bill – first proposed by President John F. Kennedy and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson – ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.